Accuser Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

accuser — to accuse — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find accuser in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the accuser conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the accuser present tense page.

Example sentences with accuser

In the present tense

  • “J'accuse Marie tous les jours.” — “I accuse Marie every day.”
  • “Tu accuses Marie à la maison.” — “You accuse Marie at home.”
  • “Il accuse Marie ce matin.” — “He accuses Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous accusons Marie avec Paul.” — “We accuse Marie with Paul.”
  • “Vous accusez Marie.” — “You accuse Marie.”
  • “Ils accusent Marie tous les jours.” — “They accuse Marie every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai accusé Marie hier.” — “I have accused Marie yesterday.”
  • “Tu as accusé Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You have accused Marie last week.”
  • “Il a accusé Marie ce matin.” — “He has accused Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous avons accusé Marie avant la fête.” — “We have accused Marie before the party.”
  • “Vous avez accusé Marie.” — “You have accused Marie.”
  • “Ils ont accusé Marie hier.” — “They have accused Marie yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “J'accusais Marie à la maison.” — “I used to accuse Marie at home.”
  • “Tu accuseras Marie bientôt.” — “You will accuse Marie soon.”
  • “Il accuserait Marie avec Paul.” — “He would accuse Marie with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous accusions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We accuse Marie every day.”
  • “Accuse Marie !” — “Accuse Marie!”

Accuser in context

J'accuse Marie tous les jours. Tu accuses Marie à la maison. Il accuse Marie ce matin. Nous accusons Marie avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de accuser est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — accuse, accuses, accuse, accusons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to accuse. J'ai accusé Marie hier. Tu as accusé Marie la semaine dernière. Il a accusé Marie ce matin. Nous avons accusé Marie avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de accuser apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to accuse — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je accuser Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'accuse Marie tous les jours.”

The infinitive accuser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form accuse.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je accuses Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'accuse Marie tous les jours.”

accuses is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is accuse — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “J'accuse Marie hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai accusé Marie hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai accusé here, not the present accuse.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je accusons Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'accuse Marie tous les jours.”

accusons is the nous form. The je form is accuse — the two persons never share a form in the present of accuser.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on accuser across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of accuser in the Present indicative?

    • A) accuse
    • B) accuses
    • C) accuseras
    • D) auras accusé

  2. What is the je form of accuser in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) avais accusé
    • B) avez accusé
    • C) ai accusé
    • D) accuserai

  3. What is the il/elle form of accuser in the Imperfect?

    • A) a accusé
    • B) aurait accusé
    • C) accusais
    • D) accusait

  4. What is the nous form of accuser in the Future?

    • A) accuserez
    • B) aurions accusé
    • C) accuseras
    • D) accuserons

  5. What is the tu form of accuser in the Conditional?

    • A) as accusé
    • B) accuseriez
    • C) avais accusé
    • D) accuserais

  6. What is the je form of accuser in the Passé simple?

    • A) accusai
    • B) accuse
    • C) accusas
    • D) aurai accusé

  7. What is the nous form of accuser in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) accuserions
    • B) avons accusé
    • C) accuses
    • D) accusions

  8. What is the gerund of accuser?

    • A) analysant
    • B) approchant
    • C) en accusant
    • D) cessant

  9. What is the past participle of accuser?

    • A) assisté
    • B) admiré
    • C) comparé
    • D) accusé

  10. What does accuser mean in English?

  • A) accompany
  • B) lower
  • C) accuse
  • D) notice

Answer key

  1. B) accuses — the tu form of accuser in the present indicative is accuses. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. C) ai accusé — the je form of accuser in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai accusé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) accusait — the il/elle form of accuser in the imperfect is accusait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. D) accuserons — the nous form of accuser in the future is accuserons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) accuserais — the tu form of accuser in the conditional is accuserais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) accusai — the je form of accuser in the passé simple is accusai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) accusions — the nous form of accuser in the present subjunctive is accusions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en accusant — the gerund of accuser is en accusant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. D) accusé — the past participle of accuser is accusé; perfect tenses use avoir + accusé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. C) accuse — accuser means “to accuse” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does accuser mean in English?

accuser means “to accuse”. You use it whenever you talk about to accuse in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is accuser regular or irregular?

accuser is regular. accuser is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of accuser?

The gerund is en accusant and the past participle is accusé. The perfect tenses use avoir + accusé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of accuser?

On the accuser conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The accuser present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for accuser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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